At peak construction, somewhere around the spring or summer of 2003, about a year from completion, 800 people will work at the site, Stephen Cunningham, SCE&G's new project development manager, said Thursday.

Later in the day, he and other officials with SCE&G and its parent company, SCANA, were scheduled to meet with members of the Jasper County Economic Development Board in Ridgeland to give them a status update.

"We have the land now, and once we get final permit approvals we'll start clearing and preparing the site," Cunningham said.

The site is only 45 acres, but it will be surrounded by about 455 acres, most of which will remain an undeveloped buffer.

On site, SCE&G will place three General Electric gas turbines and one steam turbine, called a "three on one," all of which combined will generate up to 875 megawatts of electricity. The turbines are assembled in Greenville and will be primarily fueled by natural gas, though the plant will be backed up by fuel oil.

SCE&G and the Jasper County Council have agreed to the utility's paying an annual "fee in lieu of taxes," meaning SCE&G will pay the county about $4.2 million a year, based on today's property tax rate. The annual fee will be locked in for 30 years -- it won't go up or down.

Cunningham said SCE&G is looking for a general contractor for the job. The winning bidder will engineer, build and start up the plant, making it a turn-key project.

The plant is expected to join SCE&G's total South Carolina electric power grid of 4,588 megawatts in the summer of 2004.

Several conditions made Jasper County SCE&G's site of choice, Cunningham said: plentiful water from the Savannah River via the Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority; the nearby liquid natural gas reservoirs on Elba Island near Savannah; and the growth of Jasper and Beaufort counties.

"We looked all over South Carolina, believe me, for this new natural gas generating plant, and Jasper made the most sense," Cunningham said. "The people of Jasper are great."

SCANA spokesman Robin Montgomery said the question he gets asked most often about the power plant is "Are we going to be able to get gas now?" he said. "People are wanting natural gas more and more, and while it's still a volatile market, we believe we'll see much more stable and lower costs this winter and next winter."

Montgomery said natural gas is being produced domestically and in the Caribbean, and supply is finally keeping up with or ahead of demand.

SCE&G has an application pending with South Carolina for a "certificate of environmental compatibility and public convenience and necessity" for the plant. Permits also are being sought with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a high-pressure pipeline under the Savannah River. The pipeline will connect the plant with Elba Island.

Emissions from natural gas power plants are the lowest among generating facilities, Cunningham said. Small amounts of nitrous oxide are released and disperse into the atmosphere. "Natural gas is clean burning," he said.

The surrounding acreage SCE&G has bought for a buffer will help screen any noise and light pollution, but meetings are planned for nearby residents, Montgomery said.

"On a very, very quiet night, if the plant is up to full capacity, you might hear a low hum if you're nearby," Montgomery said.

The plant will not run at full capacity all the time, but actually will be a backup to SCE&G's power grid throughout South Carolina during peak seasons, especially summer and winter, Cunningham said.

Once in operation, the plant would employ between 25 and 35 full-time personnel, Montgomery said.

SCE&G is a subsidiary of SCANA Corp., a Fortune 500 energy-based holding company headquartered in Columbia. SCE&G provides electric service to more than 540,000 customers in 24 central and southern counties in South Carolina.

Reporter Mark Kreuzwieser can be reached at (843) 837-5255, ext. 123, or markk@lowcountrynow.com

Coal's still king

South Carolina Electric & Gas produces a total of 4,588 megawatts of electricity, 77 percent of which is derived by burning coal. Eighteen percent of the power comes from nuclear fusion, 4 percent from water power, and only 1 percent from burning natural gas.

The plant to be built in Jasper County will be capable of generating 875 megawatts of electricity. It will not run at full capacity all the time, but actually will be a backup to SCE&G's power grid throughout the state.